Handle mounting



May 21, 1968 TRENN R 3,384,208

'VHANDLE MOUNTING Filed April 5, 1967 INVENTOR 7' HON/4.5 Pf/V/VEZ ATTORNEY;

United States Patent Office 3,384,208 Patented May 21, 1968 3,384,208 HANDLE MOUNTING Thomas Renner, New York, N.Y., assignor to Merchants Metal Trimming Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Apr. 3, 1967, Ser. No. 628,098 Claims. (Cl. 190-58) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The mounting in accordance with the invention is for use with an article of the type usually carried by a handle which consists of a loop and a pair of coaxial trunnions extending from the loop toward each other. The mounting comprises a base member having a fiat bottom wall ter-' Background of the invention Handle mountings of the type contemplated herein, namely, for use in connection with luggage, brief cases, attache cases, etc., have conventionally been made of metal, such being required because the mounting transmits the load of the article to the handle which is then carried by an individual. Accordingly, the handle mounting must be strong enough to transmit a load of substantial weight and for this reason a metal handle mounting is almost compulsory.

Handle mountings made entirely of metal, however, have severe limitations. In the first place, the cost of making the metal mounting is substantial, as compared to other materials which can more cheaply be formed in the required shape. Further, the use of conventional prior art handle mountings limit the available aesthetic flexibility. More specifically, it is often desirable, from an aesthetic point of view, to match color of the handle mounting with that of the handle itself and with the body of the article itself, the latter being often made of plastic. The only way in which such color matching can be accomplished, where an all metal mounting is used, is by coating the mounting, and such step adds to the cost and does not always result in the desired color matching.

In accordance with the invention, the above mentioned limitations have been solved without adding to the cost of the artcle, and in fact, by decreasing the cost.

Summary of the invention The limitations of the prior art set forth above are solved in the present invention by providing a handle mounting made of two parts. The first of these parts, referred to as the base member, is made of metal or other material of sufficient strength and comprises the sole load bearing portion of the handle mounting. Accordingly, it is sufficiently sturdy to transmit the load presented by the weight of the article to the handle. The other of these parts is the cover member which is non-load bearing. It covers the unattractive exposed portions of the handle and handle mounting but defines substantially the entire visible portion of the handle mounting. Because this cover is non-load hearing, it can be molded of plastic at a very low cost, and as is well known, can be provided with a color matching precisely the color of the other plastic portions of the article. The cover member, supporting only its own weight, can simply be engaged with the load bearing base member by a snapping operation. The base member which is the significant one in terms of providing the function of transmitting the load, can be used, in accordance with the invention, with any one of a plurality of complementary cover members which may vary in color as well as in shape and which impart to the entire handle mounting unusual aesthetic flexibility.

Brief description of the drawing FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an article of luggage showing the handle thereof mounted in the handle mounting in accordance with the invention, the article being shown in fragment only.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view showing in perspective the cover member partly broken away, and the base'member for the handle mounting in accordance with the invention, together with a fragmentary view of the handle trunnions adapted to be held in the mounting.

FIG. 3 is an elevation view partly in cross section of the handle engaged in the handle mounting.

FIG. 4 is a section taken along line 44 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the interlocked base and cover member.

Description 0] the preferred embodiment Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1 an article of luggage 10 provided with a handle 12 mounted thereon by means of handle mounting 14 in accordance with the invention. Handle 12 as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 is a conventional C shaped member terminating in a .pair of coaxial trunnions 16 and 18 whose general purpose is to engage and be retained by the handle mount ing.

The handle mounting 14 comprises base member 20 and cover member 22. As best shown in FIG. 1, cover member 22 comprises substantially the entire visible portion of the handle mounting and therefore, from an aesthetic point of view, cover member 22 is the one which must be considered and designed for such purposes, i.e., with'rcspect to color, shape and any other ornamental design incorporated on its surface.

As best shown in FIG. 2, the base member 20 is a longitudinally extending member having a flat bottom wall 24 terminating in a pair of upwardly extending end walls 26 and 28. A pair of end trunnions 30 and 32 are provided for receiving trunnions 16 and 18 of the handle. A pair of upstanding retaining means 34 and 36 are provided, preferably at the inner edges of apertures 30 and 32 and define stop means for trunnions 16 and 18, thereby defining means for limiting the longitudinal movement of the handle loop. The side edges of base member 20 are provided, for the entire longitudinal extents thereof, with raised flanges 38 and 40, respectively. These flanges, apart from other functions to be described hereafter, serve to rigidify and strengthen the base member. A pair of holes 42 and 44 are provided in base member 20 to accommodate screws or other means for securing the base to the body of the article 10, as best shown in FIG. 3. It will be apparent that the construction of base member 20 is such that it is made of a single piece with stops 34 and 36 being formed from the portions struck out to define apertures 30 and 32. It will be evident that the base member as described above defines the entire load bearing means for the handle mounting. Specifically, when the article 10 is carried, the Weight of the article is transmitted to the handle, solely through the base member 20, by engagement of the trunnions therewith, Accordingly, the base member 28 is made of a suffi-ciently strong material, usually out of metal.

Cover 22 comprises a substantially hollow member having a top wall 46, side walls .8 and 5t Cover member 22 is substantially complementary in shape to base member 29 so that it can cover the latter in complementary relationship as best shown in FIG. 1. To provide such complementary matching, the bottom and end edges of side walls 48 and 50 are provided with stepped down formations 52 and 54, best seen in FIG. 4, which are complementary to the formations defined by upstanding flanges 38 and 40. Similarly, the end edges of top wall 46 are provided with stepped formations S6 and S8 for complementary matching, as best shown in FIG. 3, with the corresponding upper end edges of the base member. The resulting arrangement is such that the viewer is exposed primarily to the appearance of the cover member except only for the opposite side edges of the base member defined by the narrow flanges. In order to retain the cover member in its covering condition, cover member 14, in accordance with the preferred embodiment, is provided with a pair of downwardly extending ribs 69 and 52 located so as to engage stops 34 and 35 which extend upwardly from the base member. As best shown in FIG. 5, rib 6G is provided with a projection 64 and stop 34 is provided with recess 66 for receiving projection 64. A similar arrangement is provided for stop 36 and rib 62, for providing means for retaining the cover member in its covering condition. Other conventional means for retaining the cover in secured position on the base member could as well be utilized.

It is evident that the cover member performs no load supporting function whatsoever. It merely covers the base member and in the process of doing so, conceals from view all of the unattractive functioning elements of the base member, and the tr-unnions of the handle. Accordingly, it may be made of plastic and molded at a very low cost. Further, since the handle 12 and the article itself are often made of plastic, cover member 22 can be molded so as to have a color matching in all respects that of the molded handle or article 16 itself. Such matching of colors would normally be impossible where the cover member is made of metal and is an integral part of the handle mounting or where the cover portion of the handle mounting also serves a load supporting function.

The cover member 22 has been shown as having a flat top wall for purposes of illustration. It will be clear, however, that the top wall can itself be shaped differently, to meet the specific aesthetic requirements, while still cooperating with the base member in a similar manner as described in connection with cover member 22.

It is therefore seen that in accordance with the invention, and particularly the construction of the base member, such base member can be matched with an endless number of different types of cover members to meet the particular aesthetic needs. The same base member can be used universally to perform the load bearing function, while giving the manufacturer enormous flexibility and choice in the aesthetic area provided primarily by the specific cover member which is selected.

While I have herein shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise than as herein specifically illustrated or described, and that in the illus trated embodiment certain changes in the details of construetion and in the form and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the underlying idea or principles of this invention within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A handle mounting for an article of the type carried by a handle having a loop and a pair of coaxial trunnions comprising:

an elongated base member having a flat bottom wall terminating at the opposite ends thereof in a pair of upwardly extending end walls,

said base member having a pair of opposite end openings for rezeiving said trunnicns, pair of spaced stop members extending upwardly from said bottom wall and defining means for liml ing the longitudinal movement of said trunnions, and

a pair of flanges extending along the side edges, respectively, of said base member for substantially the entire longitudinal extent of said base member.

2. A handle mounting in accordance with claim 1 wherein said base member transmits the entire load of said article to said handle.

3. A handle mounting in accordance with claim wherein said base member is a one piece metal memher with said stop members being integral therewith.

4. A handle mounting in accordance with claim 2 wherein there is provided a cover member sccurable to the base member and adapted, when so secured, to conceal from view the major portion of said base member and the trunnions received therein.

5. A handle mounting in accordance with claim 4 wherein said cover member is free from supporting engagement with said handle.

6. A handle mounting in accordance With claim 5 wherein said cover is a generally hollow shell molded of plastic and having a top wall and a pair of downwardly extending side walls.

7. A handle mounting in accordance with claim 6 wherein said cover side walls are provided with peripheral edges having stepped down formations complementary to the flanges along the side edges of said base member whereby said flanges define seats for said side walls.

8. A handle mounting in accordance with claim 5 wherein cooperating means are provided on said cover member and base member for securing said members together.

9. A handle mounting in accordance with claim 8 wherein said cooperating means comprise male and female locking elements, respectively, on ribs extending downwardly from said cover member top wall and on said stop members.

It). A handle mounting in accordance with claim 3 wherein there is provided a cover member securable to the base member and adapted, when so secured, to conceal from view the major portion of said base member and the trunnions received therein.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,781,878 2/1957 Finkelstein -57 3,009,55l 11/1961 Kotkins 190-58 3,185,272 5/1965 Chance 19057 DONALD F. NORTON, Primary Examiner. 

